Ever since the times of Saint Lambert and Saint Hubert, the Church of Onzelievevrouwe was
allied to the bishop of Liege; for example, about the year 900 he gave the Church of Saint
Martin in Wijck on the east bank of the river Maas to the minster of Onzelievevrouw.
But the Church of Saint Servaas, which attracted many pilgrims, was allied to the Emperor of
the Holy Roman Realm of the 'Duitse' Nation (the successor of Charlemagne in the east part of
his realm). The emperor, and later on his vassal the duke of Brabant, gave rich donations to the
Church of Saint Servaas. The 'Bergportaal' (see the picture) was built in the years 1225-1250.
So the minsters of 'Slevrouwe' and Servaas were everlasting competitors in Maastricht.
In 1147, Bernardus of Clairvaux, preached to find Crusaders in Maastricht.
There was a surplus of women in medieval times, but trading was man's work. Maastricht
merchants sailed to Russia and Schoenen (in Sweden) to sell cloth.
The fines of the cloth guild provided the money for to pay the Church of Saint Matthew.